Are you hunting for a safe, jungle-themed indoor arena where your toddlers can burn off energy and slide into massive ball pits? Monkey Bizness on Empress Road offers an exciting, family-friendly venue packed with multi-tier jungle soft play frames where you book your timed session and enjoy an immersive multi-activity experience alongside classic sports bar games.
What Is Monkey Bizness?
Monkey Bizness is an expansive, jungle-themed indoor soft play sanctuary situated on Empress Road in the Bevois Valley district, providing a vibrant and padded environment designed strictly for children up to the age of 12.
- How it works: It is a simple play centre where families book a standard session slot, granting full, unguided freedom across age-segregated structural mazes while adults supervise from the surrounding café seating.
- Why people love it: It is a great value day out because its clear zone boundaries keep tiny infants completely safe from older, boisterous children, ensuring stress-free tracking for parents watching from afar.
- Who can go: The layouts are tailor-made for young explorers from birth up to 12 years old, though it is exceptionally well-suited for toddlers and primary school children.
Is Monkey Bizness Worth Visiting?
If you are looking for highly secure and active indoor activities in Southampton for younger children, Monkey Bizness is an exceptional choice. The division of the climbing zones, the abundance of visual sensory elements, and the excellent café site offer fantastic value for young families.
★★★★★
Unmatched value for parents with multiple young kids, providing a secure perimeter and deep visibility across all major play zones.
★★★★★
Highly sought after for children’s parties, offering dedicated hosts, party food boxes, and private hire options for entire classes.
★★★★★
The presence of completely isolated sensory blocks, soft mirrors, and ball pits makes it a paradise for early-stage motor skill building.
★☆☆☆☆
The play equipment and structural parameters are built strictly for younger kids, meaning older teens are barred from entering the main frames.
★☆☆☆☆
As a dedicated children’s activity centre focusing on day-care vibes and soft mats, there is no adult entertainment or evening date atmosphere here.
Overall, Monkey Bizness is one of the top rainy-day attractions in Southampton for parents looking to let their little ones burn off steam in a controlled, safe environment.
What Can You Expect?
Visiting the venue is entirely focused on safe, energetic play. The massive industrial unit is transformed into three specialized levels of padding and tubes that allow kids to climb, tumble, and interact safely.
- Main multi-tier climbing frame: Built for children aged 5 to 12, this large jungle maze features drop slides, cargo climbing webs, balance paths, and hidden tunnels.
- Toddler avenue (Ages 2 to 5): A scaled-down section that allows older toddlers to climb mini steps, ride short wavy slides, and jump safely away from the bigger kids.
- Baby sensory zone (Under 2s): A fully enclosed, ultra-padded floor space stuffed with large soft building blocks, ball pools, interactive walls, and soothing textures for tiny crawlers.
- Bright on-site mezzanine café: A centrally positioned dining area serving freshly ground coffees, herbal teas, panini, jacket potatoes, and healthy kid snack boxes directly to the spectator tables.
Things to Keep in Mind
Because safety and hygiene are critical within the shared plastic ball areas and soft mats, all children and supervising adults stepping onto the play mats must wear socks at all times. Bare feet or shoes are strictly banned inside the frames, so bringing an extra pair along in your bag is highly recommended.
Tickets and Prices
Checking the tickets and prices at Monkey Bizness Southampton before heading down ensures you pick the right off-peak slot and secure the cheapest rates for your family group.
- Under 9 Months: Tiny infants enter completely free of charge at all times when accompanying a paying child.
- 9 to 11 Months: Entry for crawling babies is priced at £3.95 during off-peak windows and £4.95 during peak weekend frames.
- Aged 1 to 3 Years: Admission for toddlers costs £6.95 for an off-peak weekday session, rising to £9.95 during peak hours.
- Aged 4 to 12 Years: Standard child passes for the large primary frame cost £7.95 during the week and £10.95 on weekends.
- Adult Spectators: Accompanying adults and guardians pay a minimal flat entry fee of £2.50 per session.
- Loyalty Passes: Frequent visitors can buy 30-day passes for £30, 90-day bundles for £60, or full annual memberships for £140 to get unlimited entry.
How To Get There
If you are planning your visit to Monkey Bizness Southampton, reaching the Empress Road complex from the city centre is incredibly straightforward whether you travel by car or public transport.
- By car: Head out from the city centre via Thomas Lewis Way (A335), turning down onto Empress Road right into the industrial park corridor.
- By train: St Denys railway station is the closest transport link, located within a comfortable 10 to 12-minute walk from the play frames.
- By bus: Major inner-city bus lines stop directly along the nearby Portswood Road or directly on the main avenue near the entrance lane.
Where To Park
If you are looking for parking near Monkey Bizness Southampton, the complex provides dedicated parking slots situated directly outside the building perimeter.
- On-site customer parking: Free dedicated parking bays are located directly in front of the main building doors on Empress Road.
- Industrial park awareness: Because Empress Road is a busy industrial avenue, parking spaces can fill up rapidly during wet weekends, so checking alternate street lanes close by is wise.
Where To Eat Nearby
If you are searching for places to eat near Monkey Bizness Southampton, you will find a wide range of quick bites right inside the building alongside popular choices up the road in Portswood.
- The Monkey Bizness Café: On-site kitchen serving hot coffees, panini, light toasted sandwiches, curly fries, and healthy snack platters directly to your viewing table.
- Sprinkles Gelato Portswood: Located a brief 4-minute drive away up the main road, offering an extensive selection of waffles, crepes, and ice cream treats.
- Sainsbury’s Café: A large supermarket hub sitting just a 3-minute drive up toward Portswood for affordable hot lunches and family food rows.
Monkey Bizness Southampton FAQs
1. Do adults need to wear socks if they are just watching from the side?
You do not need to wear socks if you stay inside the carpeted café seating tracks. However, if you step onto any padded play frames to assist a toddler, shoes must be removed and socks are strictly mandatory.
2. Can we bring our own homemade picnics or squash inside?
No, outside food and beverages are strictly prohibited inside the complex to maintain allergy guidelines, with exceptions made solely for baby formula or dedicated birthday cakes.
3. Is there a time limit on how long the children can play?
Standard open sessions typically guarantee a minimum of 90 minutes of full play tracking, though limits are rarely enforced during quiet mid-week school hours.
4. Are the play frames safe for babies who are only just crawling?
Yes, the designated Under 2s area is fully enclosed and heavily padded, ensuring that older children cannot enter and disrupt the tiny infants.
5. Do we need to pre-book a session online before arriving?
While walk-in spaces are regularly open on weekdays, pre-booking your session online for rainy weekends and school holidays is highly recommended to secure entry before the site hits peak capacity.
